Wanting to get into pipe smoking
- Thread starter kalvinklein
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I'm not sure what it takes to get a permanate sticky note but if any topic needs one it's w"hat new pipe smokers need to get started" is the topic. I think I've seen this same type of post a few times in the past month or so. Not to sure if the poster searched the forum or not, but we can all put our ideas into a permanent sticky note to help all the noobs. Just a thought!
+1 Philip. You came to the right place for advice. Welcome to the forum and the wonderful world of piping. Keep us posted as to what you choose as your first pipe and baccy. I personally went with MM Cob and an estate Savinelli. Although that Roma linked by Cigrmaster is real nice. I love my Savinelli Roma, awesome smoker......don't forget a tamper, you're screwed without a tamper.
Welcome to the forum and to the hobby.
With respect to some of the gentlemen above, I would not get a basket pipe, a Dr. Grabow, or an unrestored estate. You mentioned $40 as a price. I would check with some of the sponsor sites and look at estate pipes in that price range. Peterson, Savenelli, and Stanwell are all good solid pipes, and if you can find one in your budget you will probably have a winner. I would not advise trying to fix up an estate pipe until you have a little experience.
Tobaccos: You have some experience with cigars, but don't mention what your tastes are. For general advice, let me suggest the following:
Avoid flakes, plugs, etc. while you are starting out. You don't need to deal with preparing tobacco at this stage.
I would call up one of our sponsors that offers a sample pack, like pipesandcigars.com. Talk to them, and get some advice. Pick up an ounce or so of several blends of different types. Don't go out and buy 4 ounces of something somebody recommends. It may be that,if you start with a call to one of these places, and have an amount that you want to spend, they can help you through the whole process. I would bet that for $75 (or less), you can come away with a decent pipe - not a great pipe, but a decent one - a variety of tobacco, and cleaners, pipe tool, etc.
Good luck and have fun.
If you can afford cigars you can afford a good pipe. There will no doubt be numerous disagreers here about what I am about to say. If there is a decent new pipe costing under $150-200 I have yet to see it, and I have a lot of pipes and have been smoking them for 56 years. Smooth pipes tend to smoke better than sandblasted, but there are plenty of exceptions. Look for a tight grain with no fillings. A straight or almost straight pipe is easier to use than a bent. Get lots of pipecleaners and use them whenever the pipe gurgles. Also get a tamper. As a starter tobacco I suggest Dunhill standard. One tobacco is enough at first.
As a follow up to my smart-alec post above, you will also want a pipe tool or tamper of some kind and plenty of pipe cleaners.
Get the best pipe you can afford. If you want a $200 pipe, I recommend a TRG. TIM George is a friend of mine and makes amazing pipes for the price. In the $100 range, get a Peterson or a Savinelli. A straight poker or billiard shape is a good shape to start, but choose something you find aesthetically pleasing to you.
Since you like cigars, get a nice English like the one in my sig below, a VAPer like Anniversary Kake or Escudo and an aro. Others have suggested 1-Q and I agree. Lane 1-Q has created millions of pipe smokers and it's inexpensive to boot.
Get a pipe nail or a Czech tool, a wind cap, matches and cleaners and give it a go.
Since you like cigars, get a nice English like the one in my sig below, a VAPer like Anniversary Kake or Escudo and an aro. Others have suggested 1-Q and I agree. Lane 1-Q has created millions of pipe smokers and it's inexpensive to boot.
Get a pipe nail or a Czech tool, a wind cap, matches and cleaners and give it a go.
If you are like me (I wasn't ready to make a big money investment in the beginning) get a Wellington. They are about $32 on P&C and IMO are better than a Grabow from the local drug store.
Bigvan: Two reasons. Blasted pipes have a larger surface area, which is good for cooling. But if the stain is bad tasting, as many are, there is a lot more of it. Some pipemakers seem not to notice when a stain ruins the taste of a smoke. Either they have a lower perception of taste or their tobacco covers it. This is not surprising. When I was in the restaurant business I noticed that 3/4 of the customers didn't really taste their food. When you get a chef and manager who do have developed taste, budget permitting, you have a good restaurant. If both do not have taste, a poor restaurant results. The same thing applies to pipemakers. Some great carvers do not taste fully with their palates, resulting in a whole lot of awful tasting pipes. If it is blasted, the effect is increased. The second reason is that blasted pipes are usually made out of blocks that are rejected for smooth pipes. That is why they have to be blasted. Reject blocks do not smoke as well. Often they have a preponderance of softer wood, which absorbs more of the unpleasant tasting moisture from the tobacco. You can tell the difference between softer briar and harder by the grain. The lighter areas are softer. In blasted pipes you can't tell. This is one of the reasons I prefer Petersons and Dunhills. Most of their finishes do not ruin the taste. Some do.
Thanks for your explaination. I guess I'll just be glad I have a lesser palate and don't sense the bad taste from the staining. Although, out of the nine pipes I have with me here in Chandler five of them are Petersons, with two Savinellis, a Butz-Choquin, and a Brindisi being the other four. Also, all of the pipes I have here are smooth finished. Maybe that would explain it.
Thank you for all the advice everyone. I really appreciate it all. I will stop at my B&M on the way home from work to see what they have.
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